Χτες άκουσα έναν δυνατό κεραυνό και σήμερα το πρωί είχε παγετό στο χωριό.

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Breakdown of Χτες άκουσα έναν δυνατό κεραυνό και σήμερα το πρωί είχε παγετό στο χωριό.

• έχω: to have
• σήμερα: today
• το πρωί: in the morning

Questions & Answers about Χτες άκουσα έναν δυνατό κεραυνό και σήμερα το πρωί είχε παγετό στο χωριό.

Why does the sentence begin with Χτες? Is that the normal word for yesterday?

Yes. Χτες means yesterday and is very common in everyday Greek.

A useful thing to know is that there is also a more formal spelling, χθες. Both mean the same thing:

• χτες = common, everyday spelling/pronunciation
• χθες = more conservative/formal spelling

Putting Χτες at the beginning is natural, just like saying Yesterday, ... in English.

Why is it άκουσα and not άκουγα?

Άκουσα is the aorist form, which is usually used for a completed event in the past.

So:

• άκουσα = I heard / I listened to (one completed event)
• άκουγα = I was hearing, I used to hear, or I was listening (ongoing/repeated background action)

In this sentence, the speaker is referring to a specific event yesterday, so άκουσα is the natural choice.

Why is there no word for I before άκουσα?